


Of A Vindictive Nature

by SSChrys



Category: Arthur (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Mystery, Suspense, Teenage Drama, rumors and lies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23914900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSChrys/pseuds/SSChrys
Summary: It's senior year, and Arthur is forced into a web of lies when a mysterious note leads him to some compromising photos. This web of lies is being controlled by someone, and it's up to Arthur and his friends to figure out who.
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Part 1  
Chapter 1  
Arthur stepped into the gym of Elwood City High School. It was after hours, so the only lights illuminating the shining gym floor were the few emergency lights sprinkled around the space. Most of the room was shrouded in darkness. November did that to Elwood City--time changed and suddenly it was dark around five every night. It was barely after five now, just a few minutes before the cryptic note said for him to be there.

Arthur shivered in his sweater as he looked around the room. The shadows could be hiding anyone, and he already didn’t know who left the note. It was stuck in the vent holes of his locker, and at first, he thought it was just a note from his girlfriend, Francine, or maybe from his best friend Buster. Instead it was written ransom letter style with cut-out letters from magazines and newsletters to make the message: MEET ME AT THE GYM. 5:15 SHARP.

The school was closed, but Arthur could get in. He was a senior now, so he knew a lot about the school. He knew the door to the teacher’s parking lot was always unlocked even late at night, but he was expecting there to be more people around. Where was the basketball team that normally had practice here? Where were the coaches cutting up in their offices?

Except it was Friday. Everyone was gone for the week or heading to the game of the week.

A squeak of the floor echoed around the gym, but Arthur’s feet hadn’t moved. He looked around into the shadows, but his eyes caught nothing of interest. That squeak could’ve come from anywhere, even the top track that circled the gym.

Something hit with a thud and the squeaking intensified. Someone had dropped something from up top and was now fleeing the scene. Arthur looked around, but most of the track was dark. The emergency lights were hung underneath them, and very little light could get through the banners and ad signs zip tied to the frame of the track.

But he could see the box. Arthur walked over to it and was afraid to open it. He’d been watching crime shows, mystery movies, and suspense-filled terrorist movies for years with his friends, mostly with Buster but with others too. Didn’t the target normally blow up when he opened the box? The box was always ordinary just like this one, except this was real life and product placement wasn’t a problem. This was clearly an Amazon Prime box complete with some of the tape and a big printed smile. The address label was completely stripped, but otherwise it was clearly an Amazon box. Did that make it harmless?

The lighting was too bad for him to continue. Arthur stepped into the main hallway and underneath another emergency light. The box was taped shut, but after a few pulls and tugs in the right places, the box came open.

Inside were photographs. Arthur knew from the background image that it was from Muffy’s latest party, a huge gathering of teens. Her parties had gotten bigger and wilder over the years, especially after her parents’ divorce. Her mother got the house but had clearly checked out, so Muffy ran free. This party featured underaged drinking, loud music, and plenty of ill deeds. Arthur remembered them all because he refused to drink, but these photos were all some people had. Muffy would walk around the party throughout the night taking photographs.

Except these were different, clearly photoshopped. Arthur’s hands shook as he looked through them. Instead of him appearing to make out with his girlfriend, Francine, he was sucking face with Sue Ellen Armstrong, who was not his girlfriend and never had been.

Each picture was altered. Instead of Arthur and Francine, it was Arthur and Sue Ellen, even in the candid shots. Francine was nowhere to be found because the backgrounds were the same. Sue Ellen wasn’t in the background because she never attended these parties. For one, her parents were too strict. Two, she wasn’t into such things.

Yet here she was topless on Arthur’s lap smiling for the camera.

A note at the bottom had the next threat: DO AS I SAY OR THESE GO PUBLIC. CHECK YOUR LOCKER.

Arthur navigated the darkened halls hoping the school hadn’t upgraded their alarm systems yet. The last thing he needed was to be busted for trespassing with these photos in his possession. His heart pounded in his ears as he rounded the corner.

There wasn’t an emergency light anywhere near Arthur’s locker, but someone had left a tall lamp plugged in across the hall by the water fountain. Arthur swallowed and put in his combination.

As the locker swung open, the note fell out. It was typed and printed from one of the school’s computer. Someone had used the Guest account to print the letter at 2:15 that afternoon. Arthur’s eyes went from the text in the footer of the document to the letter itself:

_All you’ve ever done is make a fool of me. It’s time you get put where you belong, at the bottom of society. These photos are public and I’m not even sorry. You’re getting what you deserve._

His buzzing phone in his back pocket got his attention from the note. He checked it to find Francine calling him. Arthur’s heart started pounding. His chest was hurting slightly from his nervousness.

“H-Hello?”

“Who did this?” Francine demanded, “I know I’m in those pictures, but no one is going to believe us.”

“I…I don’t know. Where are you? We need to talk,” Arthur whispered, glad to know Francine was being sensible about this.

Francine confirmed she was home with her mom, so Arthur closed his locker and left the school, packing the notes together with the Amazon box. He held it close knowing that whoever did this had left clues within. He just had to figure out what they meant.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Francine wasn’t allowed to host Arthur in her room with the door open, not that her mom was that nosy. Her dad was attending a game out of town and wouldn’t be home until late, not that Arthur had much time left. It was already six, which meant he needed to be home soon himself.

Francine sighed, putting down the box and looking up to Arthur, “So you’ve really made enemies with someone, the guy who’s probably going to win the vote for Most Friendly Guy At Elwood City High. I don’t get it, I really don’t.”

“Well they’re clearly mad, but I don’t know what I did or who I pissed off. I’m just glad you’re handling this okay because a lot of people aren’t. I mean, how did you even find out?” Arthur asked.

Francine pulled up the school’s Facebook page and went to the class’s Facebook group. This was where everything went down, but it was usually reserved for school events and official business. The top post of the moment was an album full of the pictures Arthur had. The post was created by one of the school’s accounts, but Arthur knew from his experience with Yearbook Club his junior year that everyone could get access to that account. All you had to do was be friendly with the scattered English teacher running the page, and suddenly you had access to a key public account for the school.

There were hundreds of reactions on the post. All were either angry, sad, or shocked. A few people liked it, but no one was loving it. Some people thought it was funny, but it was clearly a sarcastic way. “At least it’s not me,” those reactions said.

Francine closed the reaction notices and turned to Arthur, “So, what are we going to do? They’re Muffy’s pictures, so do we confront her?”

“Would she do something like this?” Arthur asked.

Francine scoffed, “Don’t be like that, Arthur. I know you’re paranoid about this because I am too, but what would Muffy gain from this? If people realize these are her parties, she could get into big legal trouble.”

“True, but where is she? Let’s call her,” Arthur said, but Francine already had. Muffy was on a date in Metropolis and wouldn’t be back until late. Arthur sighed, “So…what do we do? I think even if we come out and say the photos are fake, people aren’t going to believe us. Look at these reactions.”

“Let’s look at the comments,” Francine whispered. She didn’t want to, but they needed to know how people were reacting.

A lot of comments were from adults asking whoever posted the pictures to remove them. Most were from teachers, but there were plenty of parents too. The teens weren’t saying much of anything, but people were filling in the gaps. Francine and Arthur had been a couple for a long time, and people were trying to figure out what Sue Ellen would be there with Arthur.

“They think you’re cheating on me and corrupted Sue Ellen,” Francine sighed, turning to Arthur, “I don’t think you can corrupt her, but…we should warn her.”

“I’ll call her when I get home. Mom wanted me home by seven--”

“You should probably warn them too. I already told my mom and she’s okay, but I know not everyone will be as understanding. Your mom always thinks you’re studying with Buster on those late nights or having a sleepover like the old days. She’s naive and this is going to change that,” Francine whispered.

Arthur knew Francine was right. As he walked home, he tried to see if he had any contact information for Sue Ellen, but he didn’t. They weren’t even in the same circle anymore, not since middle school when Honors classes became a possibility. People like Sue Ellen, Brain, and Fern left the class behind by taking those classes. Arthur and a lot of his friends were painfully average and it showed. They didn’t even do the same things for fun as those smart kids, and that was normally fine.

Francine agreed to try to find her as Arthur stepped into his house. As he expected, DW and Kate were arguing upstairs about something, their shrill voices carrying down the stairs. Their dad was sitting at the dining room table having an after dinner mug of coffee while Jane finished hand-washing the dishes in the sink.

“Wow, you actually made it by seven,” Jane noted, turning around, “Your sisters can’t agree on what to wear. I’m assuming you know your options and are okay with them?”

“Yeah, sure, where are we going?” Arthur asked.

“Your grandmother wanted us to visit the home tonight for movie night. Well, movie night was at four this afternoon, but she figures most people will be in bed at seven-thirty for us to visit then,” David replied.

“I’ll go get the girls,” Jane sighed, drying her hands.

“Wait, before you go, there’s something I need to warn you about,” Arthur said, watching his mother grab her smartphone, “Someone edited some photos of me and it’s bad.”

“What?” David asked.

“I don’t know. Someone put a note in my locker and sent me on this spooky hunt for pics. They told me to follow their demands and they wouldn’t be put out there, but they lied. Someone must be mad at me or something, but yeah, they’re all over the Facebook groups for the school,” Arthur explained.

Jane checked her phone and her eyes went wide, “This is from a party!”

“Yeah, but it’s fake,” Arthur said firmly, “I swear it is. Look, that’s not even Francine. It’s Sue Ellen, and I haven’t talked to her in years.”

“But why would someone do something like that?” David demanded, “And why would you be at a party?”

“It’s fake!” Arthur repeated, looking up as DW and Kate descended the stairs. His sisters had a knack for sensing drama, especially if it had no impact on their lives. Somehow their parents didn’t even notice the girls hovering in the doorway as Jane let into Arthur, who wasn’t expecting the deluge.

After a minute, David waved his hands, “Jane, you’re scaring him. Look, he said they’re fake and I believe him.”

“Thanks because they are,” Arthur muttered.

“Well you need to figure this out before it gets out of hand!” Jane exclaimed, “I need to call the school Monday morning. No, I’ll contact them before them--”

“And what will the school do?” Arthur asked, shaking his head, “This is a personal problem. Just let us figure it out.”

“Come on, Mom is waiting,” David said, standing up and draining the rest of his mug.

Jane was still worked up but stayed quiet as they piled into the van. DW tried to ask questions once they were on the road, but David silenced them with a look in the rear view mirror. The issue was closed, but Arthur knew it wasn’t. Whatever was happening was just getting started. He could feel it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Muffy was still in her pajamas when she answered the door. Arthur was surprised to be allowed there after how his night went. His mom was still furious that her baby boy was at a party. In fact, Arthur felt like she was more mad about that than about the implications of such pictures. His dad was being more sensible, but Jane ran that house and everyone knew it. The last thing Arthur wanted was for his mother to be upset with him, yet here she was upset with him.

The teens gathered in the game room. Well, what used to be the game room. All of the arcade games and board games belonged to Ed, but the tables remained. Muffy set up her mini office there knowing her mother didn’t care. She’d outgrown the little desk in her room, and now she had a spread of her homework and her social media area. If Muffy weren’t their best friend, Arthur would wonder if she’d done the photos. She clearly had the means.

Muffy sighed, “So, this has boiled over into a fucking mess, hasn’t it?”

Arthur couldn’t argue with her. He handed her the box and she flipped through the photos, “Hmm, clearly something you could print at home or from a store,” Muffy said, flipping them over and showing Francine and Arthur the logo, “Home print job, but I can tell you from being on the yearbook’s staff that we use the same paper. Someone was using school resources for all of this.”

“Makes sense,” Francine nodded, bobbing her head towards Muffy’s laptop, “What are people saying? People kept tagging me so I turned my phone off,” she whispered. Arthur found it odd that he wasn’t being tagged, but he ignored the thought.

Muffy groaned, “Girl, it’s one hell of a mess. People know you’re an item, so they’re calling Arthur out and trying to get your attention not realizing you found out first. The only person I haven’t contacted is Sue Ellen. No one I know has her number, and from what I’ve seen, she’s not on any typical social media. I did some tricks and whatnot, and yeah, home girl must be on some weird shit. She’s nowhere to be found. Unless you know her user name, she’s invisible.”

“User name for what?” Arthur asked.

Muffy threw her hands up, “Who knows? Probably some weird art sites knowing her, if she’s allowed computer access. Her parents got super strict around seventh grade. Her mom’s phone got hacked, so they became technophobes. Her dad is a big-shot ambassador so it’s important really. I’m glad they made the effort, but that makes this ten times harder. We won’t be able to talk to her until Monday morning, if then.”

“Why Monday?” Francine questioned.

“Because you can’t just go to her house,” Arthur replied, “I found that out when we were doing sales a few years ago.”

Muffy nodded, “What he said. They decided to up their security defenses too, so they’ve got a gate and everything. Daddy was considering a system like that here until the divorce happened. So yeah, Sue Ellen is old school unless there’s something we don’t know about her. She’s going to get blasted Monday morning and not know why. I’m going to try to get to her first, but that’s going to be damn near impossible.”

With that avenue closed, they thought about their options. Everyone was mad at Arthur, so Muffy told Francine that she should stick up for him. She would back up the couple, but they all knew this could backfire. As far as everyone else knew, these photos were very much real even though they were very much fake. There was no evidence for this or anything else--whoever did this was a student like them who knew just as much as they did. That meant the student was either a junior or a senior who had known Arthur long enough to develop a grudge against him.

But even with the yearbook spread out between them, they couldn’t pinpoint anyone of interest. Arthur was friends with everyone, or so he thought. He didn’t really have arguments anymore now that some of his main bullies had left. Binky, for example, had given him trouble over the years, but now he went to a fine arts high school in Metropolis because he was trying to get into college on a ballet scholarship. His mom had gotten a better job there, and the family moved before Binky entered middle school.

Arthur had his arguments with other students, but it was always group project nonsense and always arguments over the work itself, nothing personal. People would want him to do more work or people wouldn’t want to do work themselves, so arguments would come up. Arthur was an average student at best, so this was common. Otherwise, he had no arguments.

After a few minutes, Arthur sighed, “Should I just ignore this? I mean, should we just stay quiet about it and see what happens next?”

“Risky move but I’m down,” Francine nodded.

Muffy exhaled slowly and shook her head, “We’ve got to have a game plan eventually for damage control. I like that idea for now. I mean, we just know what people are saying on social media. That might or might not be the real deal, plus people are getting worked up over nothing really.”

“It’s not nothing,” Arthur argued.

“It’s not, but it is. They just don’t know that yet,” Muffy countered, turning to Francine, “You should stay away from him though just to see what people say to you. You have to be careful yourself, you know?”

“Why? I’m not the one in the pictures even if I am,” Francine grinned.

“Girls who stay with known cheaters get bad reputations of their own--and Arthur, I know you didn’t cheat so calm down. We all know the truth, so I like your idea. Let’s lay low, BUT you have to make sure you’ve got a plan going just in case,” Muffy said firmly.

Arthur sighed, “Okay. I have to go meet Buster for lunch now. Should I tell him?”

“I mean, what is he going to do? Sure, tell him,” Muffy huffed, watching Arthur leave. When he was gone, Muffy turned to Francine, “I don’t think he realizes what’s coming.”

Francine shook her head, “He knows. We just don’t know what to do.”

Muffy sighed, “Neither do I really. I just hope this doesn’t blow up in my face too.”

*-*-*-*-*  
Arthur and Buster met up in the mall at the food court. Their mall had gotten smaller over the years, but the food court still had one of Buster’s favorite restaurants, a dollar scoop Chinese place. For five dollars, he got a plate full of food that Arthur could’ve eaten on all week. Instead, Buster ate his food alone while Arthur enjoyed a slice of pizza from a place across the way, or at least he tried to. He’d skipped dinner and only had a light breakfast, but lunch didn’t seem that good.

Buster, whose mind was always on food, noticed his hesitation right away, “Uh-oh, girl problems?”

“Worse than that,” Arthur sighed.

Buster’s eyes went wide, “Arthur, I thought she was on the pill--”

“NO! No, nothing like that!” Arthur exclaimed, shaking his head, “I guess you don’t know then, huh?”

“Know what? Dude, just tell me already. The suspense is killing me!” Buster said.

Arthur sighed and told Buster everything. When Arthur was finished, Buster pulled out his phone and scrolled through the list, “Yeah, I don’t have her number either, but my mom might know. She did an internship thing at the paper over the summer.”

“Really?” Arthur smiled, shaking his head, “She needs to know before school Monday. This makes her look so bad, and I know she did nothing wrong in this.”

“I’ll text Mom, and I’ll let her know not to believe everything she sees on the internet. She probably already knows but didn’t say anything to me. Wait, I haven’t seen her. I went to the triple feature last night and didn’t get home until late,” Buster said.

Arthur exhaled quickly, “Do you think she’ll understand? I mean, my mom blew her top--”

“Well that’s your mom and this is my mom,” Buster shrugged, putting his phone to his ear, “Hey, Mom, are you at home? … No? When will you be back? … Okay, see you then,” Buster said, hanging up, “She’s in a meeting until twelve-thirty, so we’ll see her at home. I’d rather tell her in person just in case.”

Arthur nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. I just…this is going to get bad, isn’t it? I mean, we don’t even know who’s doing this--”

“Look, it’s probably one of our many bored classmates. Embrace it and see where it goes. You didn’t really care about your reputation before, and your girlfriend knows it’s a fake. Once we tell Sue Ellen, I’m sure she’ll be able to ignore it too. You might need to talk to her parents, but she can arrange that once we get a hold of her.”

Arthur sighed, “Okay, you’re right, but…do you think it’ll stop after this?”

Buster shrugged, “If they’re as bored as we are, who knows? If they keep being this dumb though, it won’t matter anyway. I mean, they’re good alterations, don’t get me wrong, but anyone who was a part of that scene knows those pics are fake. Wait, who took them?”

“Muffy’s camera, but that party was pretty crazy. She put out a hashtag and had people send the pictures to her that way, so anyone could’ve taken it. There were tons of people there,” Arthur replied.

Buster grinned, “No wonder your mom was mad. Well, just keep a list of the evidence just in case. If this goes further, there’s always people who can help us figure this out. I wouldn’t worry about it though. I mean, it’s stupid party pictures. Something bigger will happen soon and no one will even remember this. Plus it’s you! You’re Mr. Friendly!”

Arthur kept hearing that but wondered how true it could be. He kept thinking back to anyone he could’ve become enemies with, but he kept coming up blank. Plus, Arthur knew that friendship could only get you so far in terms of reputation. If the right people thought the wrong things, he would be done for. Sure, it might be short-lived, but Arthur knew this wouldn’t go well if it kept on. He just wished one of his friends would agree.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
As always, Bitzi was scattered. She flitted into the house late with a bag of fast food. She didn’t realize the boys had already eaten, but Arthur was able to help. He was starting to calm down now that more and more people were telling him how to handle his troubles, not that it really seemed to be helping. It helped enough to give him an appetite at least, so that was good. He hate a few burgers while filling Bitzi in on the details, well, once she finally sat down to join them.

When they were done explaining, Bitzi bobbed her head, “Well, I can see why you’re in a bind. What were you wanting from me in this, Buster? Your call sounded important, and I just…I don’t see where I fall into this equation.”

“Well, you were Sue Ellen’s boss for her summer internship. I know it’s against the rules or whatever, but we really need to give her a heads up on this situation,” Buster explained.

Bitzi nodded firmly, “Right on all counts. I really shouldn’t do that, but this is such a delicate issue. I just…the problem is that I have her home phone number. Her parents allow her to have a tablet for reading, but they don’t let her make phone calls and whatnot. She uses public phones.”

“Wow, that’s almost barbaric in times like these,” Buster muttered.

“It’s to keep her safe, Buster. She’s an ambassador’s daughter, and…wow, is this really about her? Her parents would be devastated--”

“I think it’s only about me,” Arthur said firmly, “but I could be wrong,” he added. He hadn’t thought of this possibility until now, but it made more sense. He still hadn’t thought of anyone he’d made angry, but Sue Ellen wouldn’t have to do anything wrong if someone wanted to use her to get to her father using her.

Bitzi sighed, “Well, finish up and let’s go down to the office. All my contacts are there.”

The boys obliged, with Buster finishing off the fries and Arthur packing one of the burgers in his jacket pocket. He rode in the back seat of Bitzi’s tiny car, a little Prius that helped ease her commuting costs for stories. But it did nothing for the tall boys, who were squeezed into the seats.

Once at the office, the guys remained standing outside Bitzi’s office as she made the call. Arthur made notes for her to use, but this was still outside of her line of understanding. At least Sue Ellen’s mother answered the phone and didn’t mind hearing Bitzi out, but she needed more information and a meeting with the ones involved.

So after their phone call, the guys were crammed into the Prius again. Per Mrs. Armstrong’s orders, the meeting had to be private. Arthur alone would go inside, but he wouldn’t be taking a direct route. Bitzi kept his phone with her and dropped him off a few blocks away. Arthur was to walk west, but a car would stop and pick him up. He didn’t like this idea; he’d always been raised to not get into cars with strangers, but this was a special case. He had no choice but to do as he was told.

Sure enough, the car was driven by a guy who looked like a bouncer. Arthur guessed him to be private security, but he didn’t know for sure. For all he knew, this guy was really a secret service agent with the body of a linebacker. This was beyond him, but he did what he was told and was rewarded swiftly.

Once Arthur was inside the house, the bouncer-looking dude led him into a small office, where Mrs. Armstrong was with her husband and Sue Ellen, who sat meekly in an arm chair in the corner.

“Thank you for meeting with us and warning us about this,” Mr. Armstrong said, shaking Arthur’s hand and making him sit, “I need you to tell me everything again.”

So, once again, Arthur told the story. He left the package at home, but he agreed to get it to them that afternoon for testing. Mr. Armstrong was being protected by secret service agents, which gave him far more resources to work with. This case was officially out of Arthur’s hands now--in the eyes of the Armstrong’s and the U.S. government, this was an attempt on the ambassador’s reputation, which would be investigated fully.

When the meeting was over, Mr. Armstrong stepped out with the agents, leaving Arthur alone with Sue Ellen and her mother.

Sue Ellen sighed, “I’m sorry you’re being targeted like this, Arthur, all because of me.”

“I don’t think that at all. I’m sorry for someone bringing you into this. We all believe you,” Arthur said.

Mrs. Armstrong sighed, “So…once you get the package to us, we’ll look into fingerprints and whatnot. You’ll need to give those before you leave. And they might have more questions for you, so return any important calls you get.”

“I will,” Arthur nodded, watching her leave the room.

Once she was gone, Sue Ellen groaned, “It’s a real pain being their kid sometimes. I’m leaving as soon as I graduate. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m tired of this.”

“I can imagine. Tracking you down to tell you was really hard. Muffy figured you would just find out Monday morning,” Arthur said.

“Well, I’m glad you put in the leg work. That would have derailed my day, but it sounds like that’s what’s going to happen anyway. People really are that mad at you, huh? And they’re calling me a cheater too?” Sue Ellen asked.

Arthur shrugged, “I haven’t checked in a while, and I don’t have my phone. But…yeah, I guess so.”

Sue Ellen sighed, “Well, good thing I don’t care, huh? I mean, so many other kids really are wild, and here’s me being photoshopped into compromising situations using what looks like yearbook pictures. I haven’t worn my hair like that since junior year,” Sue Ellen said, which made Arthur notice that she was right: Sue Ellen’s hair was longer now and held back in a tight ponytail.

As Mrs. Armstrong warned, once Mr. Armstrong was done meeting privately with his agents, they got Arthur’s phone number and other contact information. They made a complete file on him, which included fingerprints. Arthur’s fingers were still stained black when the agent drove him back to his neighborhood, where he had to walk two blocks home and back to give him the package. Luckily Buster was waiting at his house to not only return his phone, but also to get filled in.

Arthur shrugged at him, “There’s nothing to say. They are handling this now, so I’m comfortable with it. They’ll figure out who did this, and yeah, things will get ugly for whoever that was. I doubt they’ll find much though.”

“Fingerprinting is a fairly accurate science,” Buster argued.

Arthur shook his head, “I didn’t mean like that. I mean, anyone’s fingerprints could be on there. Figuring out who posted them online would be too hard with an account like that. I tried to warn them, but they swore they could make the connections no one else can.”

Buster scoffed, “Well, you have thought this through then, haven’t you? Government agents are actually pretty limited in what they can do, and yes, there are too many variables. We’ll probably never know, which is good for whoever did this. The last thing they’re going to expect is being pulled in by the secret service, huh?” Buster grinned.

Arthur smiled, “If it gets that far, yeah. They’re going to crap their pants.”

“So…your mom asked me about your partying. I guess she knows we don’t always meet up together, huh?” Buster whispered.

Arthur exhaled slowly, “I guess not. I mean, I guess it was inevitable, but it’s not like I do much. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke pot, and I don’t have that much wild sex. Yeah, Francine drinks, but that’s her decision, not mine.”

“You’re still in trouble, but I told her you make good choices. You’re there to keep Francine safe most of the time, not to party,” Buster said, putting on his jacket, “I just figured I’d tell you she talked to me. And DW tried to grill me too, but I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Thanks, and I’ll call you. I should probably lay low for a while,” Arthur said, which Buster couldn’t doubt. This was a bad situation, and as Arthur expected, as soon as his mom realized Buster was gone, she was back on him for the partying.

Sure enough, Arthur was grounded from staying out late. A strict ten p.m. curfew was put in place, no exceptions. His dad wasn’t home to back up either Arthur or his mom, but Arthur figured that was a way out. He didn’t think it would last long. This would all blow over soon, and his mom would forget and let him back out soon. He just had to wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
Mr. Armstrong sighed heavily as he sat in his desk chair again. It was Sunday night now and back up had arrived. The agents working to protect Mr. Armstrong had called in a few FBI agents, who would be at Elwood City High School first thing the next morning. There was no way around it now: This was an official investigation.

Davius, the lead Secret Service agent, sat across from Mr. Armstrong with his smartphone out, “They will have IT officials in Monday afternoon, probably after four o’clock when the school will be quiet and no one will be on the network. Agents will be in the school throughout the day pulling in students and faculty for questioning.”

“Will they know what this is about?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

Davius exhaled slowly, “That’s hard to say. I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually, but, for the moment, they won’t know a thing. We just want to know who has access to school computers, school accounts, and anything else related to the background of this case.”

Mr. Armstrong nodded, “That really is all we can do at this point. I talked to my daughter privately, but she doesn’t know why someone would do this to her or the young man involved--”

“Arthur Read,” Davius interrupted, “and yes, I thought the same thing when I reviewed his information. Average student, seems to have lots of friends in the community. His parents are good people too.”

“Do you know how they’ve reacted?” Mr. Armstrong asked, but Davius didn’t know. His parents weren’t on social media, so there was nothing beyond public information to know about them.

Everything about the case was strange. Mr. Armstrong and his wife worked hard to keep Sue Ellen protected from the madness of the world, and Sue Ellen seemed to appreciate their actions. Sure, she sometimes felt left out, but she had so many other things to keep her busy that didn’t involve social media. She was on the debate team (though the Armstrong’s had to admit that sometimes her lack of connection with the world caused problems), and she spent a lot of time volunteering around the community. She was a well-rounded student who could go to college wherever she wanted thanks to her hard work. For now, she was looking at international schools, which had always been the plan. Sue Ellen simply spent too much time around other cultures to stay stuck in America with her parents, not that they attended to be in Elwood City much longer. Now that Sue Ellen was graduating, Mr. Armstrong was planning to retire and travel the world for himself instead of the president’s agenda.

Davius cleared his throat, “We have an agent combing through everything now. It’s pretty standard, they said. This is their area of expertise, so I trust their judgment.”

“Standard how?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

“This sort of thing happens all the time. It used to be with real photographs, but now people use programs like Photoshop instead. It’s not hard to squash, they said. Something bigger will come along, then things will go back to normal,” Davius explained.

Mr. Armstrong hoped that would be the case, but he knew not to hold his breath. High school could be brutal, especially in this day and age, and one had to be careful. Regardless of how long this scandal was supposed to last, the investigation would continue. Things at Elwood City High School were about to change.  
*-*-*-*-*  
Students took notice of people in suits. Even the principals, vice principals, and other administrators dressed strictly business casual like the other faculty and staff. No one wanted to stand out, plus it made them more approachable.

The agents wore black suits with black ties, their shining black shoes completing the look. Their faces were stony in nature, and students avoided them, but they took notice. People knew about the guys in suits well before they expanded their paths into classrooms and other areas outside of the front office. No one knew why they were there, but there were a lot of students grateful for their presence.

Arthur and Francine walked into school together, and as they expected, people were talking. Really everyone was talking, and it was hard to avoid the whispers and the vicious words. People were angry both at Arthur and Sue Ellen, so Francine got sympathetic looks…and then people grew angry because she was standing beside a known cheater. There would be no convincing the student body that the evidence against the people involved was fake. Arthur could only stay quiet and hope something bigger came along, and the men in suits provided that.

When Buster arrived late, he stood in line to sign into school with the other tardy children. The secretary was distracted, and Buster couldn’t help but notice it was because of the weekend’s events. These suit guys weren’t from the superintendent’s office or anywhere else concerning the local officials. Oh no, these were the real deal, the FBI.

But the rumors didn’t support that. Students thought they were after the principal for porn. Teachers thought the school board was investigating so they could take over the school thanks to its low graduation rate. There were plenty of theories in between, but those were the top choices.

Buster was annoyed that no one thought it could be the government. When he met Arthur in the classroom of a history teacher for lunch, Buster shared his thoughts.

Arthur shook his head, “Buster, look, I get what you’re saying, but you can’t say anything, okay?” he whispered.

Buster looked hurt, “But why not? It’s because it’s true, isn’t it? You saw those guys Saturday when you met with Sue Ellen’s dad.”

“No, I didn’t see any of them, but I know it’s because of this. Look, he could be in huge trouble because of whoever did this. We can’t say anything just in case it gets worse. Anyone with common sense knows that something bigger will have to happen before people will forget,” Arthur said, looking up as the history teacher entered the room.

The teacher shook his head, “I’ve been hearing crazy things about those guys in suits wandering around. What have you guys heard?” he asked.

“I think they’re alien hunters,” Buster said with full conviction, as if this was his true theory despite what he’d told Arthur. He continued on, “There were some readings in the geology lab we did the other day that concerned the teacher. He wouldn’t say much, which got me suspicious. I mean, what could he possibly be thinking? If he thought we had messed with the data, he would’ve chewed us out.”

The history teacher nodded firmly, “You’re definitely right there. I’ve seen him angry, and he’s an honest man.”

“Exactly!” Buster exclaimed, slapping his hands on the desk, “See, Arthur, someone who understands.”

The history teacher bobbed his head at Arthur, “So, what’s your favorite theory?”

“I like the criminal investigation one about the principal, but I don’t think it’s porn or he’d be out of here ASAP to ease the damage. Something financial, maybe the economic stuff we talked about,” Arthur suggested, blushing slightly at his lies.

“Huh,” the history teacher said, crossing his arms, “That’s a good one. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about that, but it would explain the organization meeting this afternoon. Any staff member running an organization with student workers has to attend.”

“Really, how interesting,” Arthur said flatly. He shrugged, “Wow, maybe I am right.”

“It makes sense. More money from Middle America is funneled into schemes and fraud-based endeavors than you would expect. It’s an easy way to get rich, and the penalties really aren’t that steep. I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this, but you’re good kids. Don’t steal money from hard-working people, okay? It’s bad on the soul if anything else,” he warned as the bell chimed to signal the end of lunch.

Sure enough, the organization meeting changed minds. Suddenly Arthur’s theory made a lot more sense. Why else would a bunch of guys in suits want to meet with people around the school who were responsible for all of the school’s organizations, big and small? Something big was going on, and everyone was hoping for answers.

But there were no answers. The meeting demanded login information for every school account and who had access to that information. Students were too busy slamming Arthur for being a cheater to come up with the next big scandal, so the questions continued, and the damage continued to spread.

When Sue Ellen got home, she was informed that she would no longer be participating in her school-based extracurriculars. No clubs, no yearbook or anything like that. She could do scholarly things and that was it. She was heartbroken, but she knew it was for the best to keep her father safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
The cafeteria wasn’t the best place to hold private faculty meetings, but the administration was at a loss as to where to put them. Elwood City High was the oldest building in the district, which meant the rooms were small and designed for a bygone era. The only other large rooms were the band rooms, which were both occupied by the students leaving band practice, and the gym, which was hosting basketball practice.

Those coaches and band directors were the only ones excused from the meeting. The principal was grateful for the exception, mostly because he didn’t know these suited agents weren’t looking into those groups, at least not yet. The groups in question were in the cafeteria.

Each organization was supposed to sit together, but that wasn’t possible due to each teacher’s allegiances. The English teacher who oversaw the school’s yearbook classes and after school organization was also in charge of the honors club for English and the production design department for the school’s theatre program. She sat front and center because that’s where she always sat.

Which was convenient, not that the agents said anything.

The principal started off the meeting by standing up and looking over the room. The chatter stopped and he spoke, “As some of you may have noticed, we’ve had an incident occur that has sparked an investigation. I am not at liberty to say what happened, but the specifics of the incident are not what these men are after. I’ll let Agent Carter fill everyone in.”

Agent Carter stepped off the wall, where the other agents were overseeing the meeting. Agent Carter stepped in front of the group and remained silent as he took everyone in. He was expecting some guilty expressions, maybe some signs of nervousness, but there were none. This group was dead inside, and he knew it was that level of laziness that started this in the first place. These teachers were too apathetic to care who did what. That was too much paperwork, too much extra effort. Besides, these were good students! They wouldn’t use their new found power for evil! And even if they did, it was their fault, not the fault of the one who gave out the information in the first place. He had seen it before, but not at this level.

Agent Carter cleared his throat, “We’ve had a serious breach of security within this school. Students are using your credentials to access things they shouldn’t have access to, at least not for personal use, and it is causing problems. So…you’re giving up the rights to your accounts, right here and right now.”

The other agents stepped off the wall. One had a stack of folders hidden behind their back. He passed them to the other agents, who spread the sheets within the folders around to every table. Pens were pulled from pockets--these teachers were prepared for paperwork even if they weren’t prepared for anything else.

Agent Carter watched over them waiting for questions. Sure enough, the woman front and center spoke up: “Hi, I was wondering what exactly you were looking into. I mean, I check these accounts every morning for suspicious activity--”

“Even over the weekends? After, say, a busy Friday?” Agent Carter asked, smirking, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. You are?”

“You can call me Miss Parks, and yes, I check the accounts regularly over the weekend. I have to just to keep track of things,” she laughed, but Agent Carter’s smirk was gone. This was not a friendly mission.

Agent Carter nodded, “I mean, I’m sure all of you do all that you can with the accounts you manage, but things get missed. I mean, let’s take a look here. See? This is exactly what I’m talking about right here,” Agent Carter said, passing the list off to an agent, who quickly left the room.

“What?” another teacher asked, “Why was that so important? Is she the one?” he questioned.

Agent Carter held up his hands, “I’m not pointing fingers at anyone. Let’s see what you put down, Sir. Why don’t we pass all of our sheets to one of my agents?” Agent Carter instructed, looking over the man’s papers and handing his off without as much enthusiasm. The agent left the room anyway; this wasn’t what they needed, but appearances were important. No one could know, not until IT could take over the accounts and reset them to credentials only the FBI would know.

The principal stood up from his seat in the back, “These agents are just doing their jobs. I hope everyone can understand how important this is--”

“We just want to know what the deal is, and you should be concerned too. The kids think you’re hiding a massive porn collection on the school’s computers,” a teacher called out.

The principal laughed, “Is that so? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be standing here if that was the case.

Agent Carter nodded, “It’s true. We take allegations like that seriously. This is very different, but it’s a credible reason. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t, and we wouldn’t be taking over these accounts and giving you a cyber security overhaul either. This is serious, dead serious. In fact, it’s a matter of national security.”

A coach scoffed, “Really? How so?”

“I mean, this close to Washington? You’ve got the children of several key figures walking through these halls on a daily basis,” Agent Carter said softly, shrugging, “I mean, all it takes is one weak link and the whole chain collapses. Terrorists will do whatever they can to win, and that’s what we’re going to prevent. Your credentials are being changed, and everyone will be receiving an email tonight with links to a cyber security training class. It’s extensive and must be completed if you wish to continue working here.

“Also, we’re installing software to monitor the usage of your accounts. There won’t be any more of this account sharing. You are all responsible for your organizations, yes?” Agent Carter asked, watching the shocked heads bob up and down. He gestured broadly, “Well, then you should take responsibility for those accounts. You alone should be managing them.”

Miss Parks raised her hand, “How does that work for organizations like mine? The yearbook has student journalists all over, and it’s too much for one person--”

“I’ve been here all day, Miss Parks, and not once has someone told me where to stuff my questions. You need more staff; it’s as simple as that. You need more teachers running the program, and I’m sure the principal can help you find reliable workers. Because, you see, that’s how we end up with more problems than we can handle, isn’t it?” Agent Carter asked darkly.

Miss Parks was still clueless about what he was implying, but her colleagues were smart enough to realize. In fact, when the meeting concluded, Miss Parks seemed surprised to have agents in her classroom next to her things. She was even more surprised to find Agent Carter and the others behind her, closing her into the room.

Miss Parks smiled, “I think I can get home by myself, boys.”

“That’s not why we’re here. Who all has access to these accounts? You left that section blank, and we need to know,” Agent Carter said, handing her the form, “I want names, all of them. Leave none off, not a single one.”

“I thought I made a note about that,” she whispered with a smile, clicking open her pen, “I mean, there’s too many to list. I’m assuming you would want previous years as well because the staff is so small this year--”

“Then I suggest you get writing,” the agent at her computer said, looking up, “Everything is here. These are shared files, no original accounts tied to them. They tried to delete the ‘shopped photos, but they’re still in the Recycle Bin.”

“What photos? Shouldn’t you tell me what happened?” Miss Parks asked.

Agent Carter shook his head, “Not in a situation like this. I could have your job, but I get it. You’re overworked and underpaid, and no one ever told you how vile teenagers could be. You’re lucky they just like ruining reputations. The smarter ones get into cyber crime, fraud, theft--you name it, we’ve seen it. We’ve seen people who get in the way lose their lives in senseless murders or face vicious attacks from teens who didn’t pay attention in biology or anatomy.

“It’s an ugly world out there, and shit like this is contributing to it,” Agent Carter exhaled, glancing over to Miss Parks, “Keep writing, but let’s stick to whoever would have the current account’s information who still attends school here.”

Miss Parks exhaled, “The credentials haven’t changed since I made the accounts. I mean…the yearbooks. They have a staff list in each copy. Just take them, please. I can’t remember these names just right, and I marked any changes I heard about in the versions I got. Mistakes happen,” she shrugged.

“Some bigger than others, yes,” Agent Carter nodded, watching his agents clear out the shelves in question. Miss Parks confirmed they only had the Facebook accounts for the last three years, so that cut down on the editions they would have to go through. It was still a ton of work, but that was why they were there. It needed to be done.

After cleansing school accounts and double checking that everything was sent out carefully, Agent Carter met with the principal and developed an outline. It was time to inform the students of the situation, mostly because finding and questioning everyone involved was time consuming and could still leave off the culprit. The credentials were so easy they were almost guessable, plus friends could share information. It was a weak system, and now it was going to make a tough job harder.  
*-*-*-*-*  
Any assemblies at Elwood City High had to be held in the gym. The ancient auditorium wasn’t big enough, so the students were forced into the gym. The classes were so large now that seniors had floor seats during large gatherings like this--pep rallies were held outside regardless of conditions. Their inside spaces were just too small.

Arthur and the other seniors watched the gym fill in with underclassmen. This was a poorly planned assembly, but Buster knew why. The suited agents stood along the back wall next to the locker rooms. The seniors watched them too wondering who they were.

Arthur was shocked to find out that Buster was right. They really were FBI agents. The student body was shocked too, but they were even more shocked to hear things about cyber security and “matters pertaining to national security.” No one knew what they meant. The agents had been so cryptic that no one had put two and two together, which is what they hoped for.

But Arthur knew, and in the end, he was grateful. When the students filed out, the pictures of Sue Ellen kissing Arthur were no longer important. They wanted to know who the terrorist was. It was the perfect storm with the perfect resolution. For now, things were okay.


End file.
